Heirloom Tomato Soup~Black Eyed Pea Hummus with Cilantro~Sauteed Red Wine Maitake Mushrooms

Hey there! So... yes. I have been a naughty blogger. I have been meaning to put up several posts, and I am so behind! So let me try to compensate, and start with the here and now. This vegan's life has been involving going to farmer's markets (particularly the one near Mc Carren Park on Saturdays), trying to eat healthier, and throwing more raw foods into the mix.

Can I just say how much I am loving going to farmer's markets?! And this past summer, as well as now, has been a great time to go! There is a great variety of plant-based goodies available for your picking. You can get corn on the cob, still in their husks, to "steam" in the oven, low at 325, for 30 minutes. Or you could slice up some kabocha squash with shallots or onions and roast 'em up! Or enjoy a peach smoothie, by adding some banana and almonds.

Here are some things  I made recently (besides the examples I just gave) that I've really enjoyed. I've  given up on recording measurements. Well, for the moment. at least. I tend to eyeball portions of spices, etc. that I use. I can only advise that you use your own judgement and taste for figuring out portions, and give you my list of ingredients. I hope that some of these dishes will inspire you to enjoy lots of veggie-goodies yourself!

Raw Heirloom Tomato Soup

 

I am loving on heirloom tomatoes at the moment! They are so juicy and sweet! And they are available in abundance right NOW. If you can't get your hands on heirloom tomatoes, I'm sure regular tomatoes would be delicious, too. This soup is super simple to make. Just take:
1 medium/large heirloom tomato
1/2 a cucumber, peeled
sea salt
oregano

and blend!
It's garden-licious (I know, so corny, but I had to say it) ! And it's also really frothy. Mmmm.


Black-Eyed Pea Hummus with Cilantro

 

I generally find black-eyed peas on the bland side, but spiced up in this hummus, it was a treat! And I love cilantro! Did you know that cilantro helps with detoxification of heavy metals in the body? Yup! I used a lot of cilantro in this dish, and it was not overpowering at all. The herb blends up really nicely, so feel free!

 

Ingredients:

1 can Eden brand black-eyed peas

1 heaping spoonful or more of tahini

umeboshi plum vinegar

lemon juice

2-3 raw garlic cloves

cilantro

paprika

cumin

sea salt

 

 

 

I enjoyed my hummus at work this week with some raw slices of zucchini and peeled cucumber. I love raw zucchini, and when I saw them at the market, I snagged them up! I'm also digging cucumbers lately. They are so refreshing!

 

 

Sauteed Red Wine Maitake Mushrooms

 

Admittedly they are on the pricy side, but I love getting my mushroom fix from the market! This week I went with some maitake mushrooms (aka "hen of the woods"). I took some leftover red wine (a full-bodied one), some tamari (you can also use shoyu aka soy sauce) and sauteed. It was so easy! I placed the mushrooms over a bed of steamed kale.

 

 

To complete the meal, I had the mushrooms and kale with some oven fries, using Purple Viking Potatoes. They are a little sweet, and delicious. I threw in some rosemary and garlic cloves, as well as olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.

 

 

And that's it! Earlier today I went on a hike upstate-so I will update again very soon about that!

xo,

Ellie